RGC will head down the A55 tomorrow as they begin their preparations for the new Super Rygbi Cymru season with a pre-season trip to Chester Rugby Club.

Kick-off at Hare Lane is at 2pm, with the match giving RGC their first opportunity to take their hard work in pre-season into a full 80-minute contest.

And after an encouraging campaign last season, there is plenty for North Wales supporters to look forward to.

RGC finished fifth in the Super Rygbi Cymru regular-season table last season — their best finish since the competition was introduced — and went on to reach the SRC Plate Final. The club also produced some of the competition's leading attacking statistics, with Billy McBryde finishing as the league's leading points scorer.

Now the challenge is to build on that progress.

RGC Head Coach Jon Callard has committed to the club for the 2026/27 campaign after an impressive first season in charge.

Callard was praised by RGC for bringing the squad together and developing an exciting style of rugby, while he said finishing fifth and reaching the Plate Final was testament to the players' hard work and commitment.

He has also spoken of his enthusiasm for the purpose of Super Rygbi Cymru — developing players for the future and helping talented rugby players remain in North Wales, combining rugby with employment and opportunities in the region.

For RGC centre Tudur Jones, though, the players are now simply ready to get back out on the pitch.

He said: “I think every player gets to around this point of pre-season and just wants to get back to playing rugby.

“It’s been a good pre-season so far. We’ve worked hard in the gym and on the training pitch, and now it’s about putting that work into an 80-minute game.

“Saturday, at Chester will be a good test, with a few familiar faces, and it’s a chance to see where we’re at.

“Then we build again towards Coventry at home on Saturday 29 August, so we are all looking forward to being in front of our supporters at Stadiwm Eirias.”

Super Rygbi Cymru is effectively the top level of the Welsh domestic game below the professional regions and was created to provide a stronger bridge between the academies, community clubs and professional rugby.

There are 10 teams in the competition, with the clubs aligned more closely with the professional game and the four Welsh regions.

The regular season sees every team play each other home and away, giving each side 18 league matches.

But the season doesn't simply end when the league table is complete.

The top teams progress into a series of play-offs leading to the Grand Final, while there is also a separate SRC Cup competition and a Challenger Shield. The competition is structured around the professional rugby calendar, with breaks during the autumn internationals and Six Nations period.

The new league campaign gets underway on Saturday 12 September, when RGC travel to face Newport.

Their first home league game comes a week later, when Carmarthen Quins visit Stadiwm Eirias on 19 September.

Before that, however, there is plenty of work to do.

Saturday's trip to Chester will be followed by RGC's home pre-season fixture against Coventry on Saturday 29 August, giving supporters their first chance to see the new-look squad at Stadiwm Eirias.

RGC have also been busy strengthening the squad, including the return of Huw Davies, who came through RGC's youth system before pursuing a professional career with Sale Sharks. His return is part of the club's wider ambition to attract and retain talented players in North Wales.

With Callard back at the helm, a fifth-place finish to build on and another season of Super Rygbi Cymru ahead, there is a growing sense that RGC are moving into an important stage of their development.

But first comes Chester. For the players, as Tudur Jones puts it, it's about taking everything they've done in the gym and on the training field and finally seeing what it looks like when the whistle blows.